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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25940311">Can't You See</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/twohearts/pseuds/twohearts'>twohearts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:15:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25940311</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/twohearts/pseuds/twohearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s not her time. Brainy knows this. He’s from the future, after all. </p><p>In the back of his mind, stored away in a little box covered in padlocks, is the time, location, and cause of every single one of his friends’ deaths. He learned them long ago, when he didn’t think it would matter, when it was all just history. </p><p>This is not the end of Kara’s life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kara Danvers &amp; Querl Dox, Kara Danvers/Querl Dox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Can't You See</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The prompt was: "Can't you see how much I care about you?" with Kara and Brainy for CycloneRachel.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s not her time. Brainy knows this. He’s from the future, after all. </p><p>In the back of his mind, stored away in a little box covered in padlocks, is the time, location, and cause of every single one of his friends’ deaths. He learned them long ago, when he didn’t think it would matter, when it was all just history. </p><p>This is not the end of Kara’s life. </p><p>He says as much.</p><p>Alex just glares at him. </p><p>He opens his mouth to add the more flowery reassurances that humans respond to, but Alex is already gone. She’s stalking over to the one way window to survey the operation.</p><p>It’s delicate surgery, which is the only reason Alex isn’t in there right now. Her hands haven’t stopped shaking since Kara took the bullet. Can’t remove tiny fragments of Kryptonite shrapnel with shaky hands. </p><p>Brainy thinks that at one point he could have performed such a surgery. He could have steadied his hands and pushed down the overwhelming urge to vomit. He could have cut into Kara. Now the thought just makes him shake.</p><p>He doesn’t know whether to curse the inhibitors or thank them for the fact that they are the reason he cannot take the reins in saving Kara’s life. But he knows that Kara will not die. </p><p>“Brainy,” J’onn’s hand is on his shoulder. “Let’s give Alex some space.”</p><p>Alex is glaring at him again.</p><p>Oh. He said that last bit out loud.</p><p>---</p><p>He and J’onn wait in one of the empty labs. J’onn’s face is unsurprisingly unreadable, even in his human form. Brainy plays it cool and sits with one of the tablets, swiping farther and farther down a report that he isn’t really reading. The room is soundproof, so they sit in silence.</p><p>Until eventually J’onn speaks. </p><p>“I know you meant well,” J’onn pauses, he glances off to the side. “But we need to work on your beside manner.”</p><p>“Bedside manner.” Brainy repeats slowly. </p><p>“It’s how a doctor...”</p><p>“I know what it means.” Why do they always forget he is a twelfth level intellect? “I presented Alex with the facts. Encouraging facts, I thought.”</p><p>J’onn opens and closes his mouth a few times before he settles on sighing.</p><p>“I was going to add to them.” Brainy’s voice is quiet. He knows when he’s disappointed someone. “I was trying to give her hope.”</p><p>The “like Kara would” goes unsaid.</p><p>J’onn nods. Brainy thinks he still looks disappointed. “I know.” He says and they fall back into silence.</p><p>---</p><p>As it turns out, Brainy is right. This is not the end of the line for Kara. The shrapnel is removed with relative ease and hours later everyone is in the medbay looking slightly worse for wear, no one more so than Kara herself.</p><p>As she props herself up, the light hits her skin in just the right way that everyone can see the mildly green veins still snaking their way just below the surface of her skin. Alex and J’onn can’t hide their grimaces, but Kara doesn’t seem to notice. She’s tired and though the anesthesia has entirely worn off, her eyes are still clouded.</p><p>“I’m fine.” She protests. Her head lolls to one side as she speaks.</p><p>“You’re not fine. You just came out of major surgery.” Alex is looking at the machine’s that Kara’s still hooked up to. The Kryptonite radiation has not quite dissipated enough for Kara to be invulnerable, so they still have a bit of time before they’re entirely out of the woods.</p><p>“You know what I meant, Alex.”</p><p>“Do I?”</p><p>It sounds like sibling banter and J’onn has one corner of his mouth quirked up like the proud father he is, but Brainy wonders if he sees the clear pain underneath. He’s a telepath; he can at least read Alex’s mind, so he must. Maybe he’s ignoring it.</p><p>Maybe he’s put the pain in one of his own little boxes.</p><p>No matter, Brainy hears the way Alex’s voice is curt and Kara’s a touch too high-pitched. They’re putting on a good show but they can’t fool him.</p><p>“Perhaps we should give Kara some time to rest.” J’onn says.</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>“I need to run more tests.”</p><p>The sisters speak at the same time.</p><p>“Well that settles it.” J’onn points to Brainy. “Alex and I will get dinner. Brainy will run the tests. And Kara will get a bit of rest. Hmm?”</p><p>So he did see the pain, Brainy thinks. He was just better at diverting it than Brainy was.</p><p>After a moment, Alex and Kara both nod, and Alex and J’onn are on their way. That leaves Brainy and Kara in the medbay together. Brainy walks over to the machine’s. They’re nothing too extravagant, just checking Kara’s vitals. Everything is normal. Or rather, everything is as normal as possible with trace amounts of Kryptonite still running through her.</p><p>It only takes a moment for Brainy to ascertain all of this. There is no need for further testing.</p><p>He tells Kara as much.</p><p>“I knew Alex was just being overprotective.” She grins. “So I’m good to go?”</p><p>Brainy frowns. Kara’s propped herself up further. She has one hand tentatively held over one of the nodes attached to her temple.</p><p>“You almost died.” He says plainly.</p><p>“But I didn’t. You said it yourself, I wasn’t supposed to die today.”</p><p>Brainy quirks an eyebrow.</p><p>“Alex told me.”</p><p>Brainy just shakes his head.</p><p>Kara tries not to groan as she sits all the way up. “I know Alex would keep me locked up here for who knows how long, but you...” She trails off.</p><p>“Me?” Brainy blinks. A thousand possible conversations crossing his mind. Him? What about him?</p><p>“You know, she cares <em>so</em> much and I love her for it, but you’re more... logical, I guess. You know I have to get back out there. I have to help people.”</p><p>Brainy blinks again. He replays what Kara has just said.</p><p>He is logical. He is rational. He knows that Kara just wants to get go and help people. He knows that Kara would probably be fine if she did just that.</p><p>But there’s a part of him, a loud screaming part, that just wants her to rest.</p><p>And there’s an even louder part that worries why she thought he’d just let her run off again into battle?</p><p>“Can’t you see how much I care about you?” He says before he can stop himself.</p><p>Kara tilts her head. Her eyes are no longer clouded, just confused.</p><p>“Of course I know how much...” Kara starts.</p><p>“Then why did you think I would let you run off not two hours after you went through intensive surgery?” He can’t stop his voice from raising. He feels a rush of heat across his forehead, a soft humming that he desperately hopes only he can hear.</p><p>His inhibitors are pushing back.</p><p>It doesn’t matter. He can’t help himself.</p><p>“I care about you more than anyone else I know.” His voice cracks as Kara’s eyes go wide.</p><p>The heat dissipates, as does the humming. Everything returns to equilibrium even as Kara stares at him like he’s just told her he was the one responsible for Krypton’s destruction.</p><p>He’s used to looks like that.</p><p>“Brainy...”</p><p>“It’s alright.” He says too quickly.</p><p>“It’s not.” She reaches a hand out towards him. “I don’t know why I didn’t think you would care about me the same way Alex does. I should have known. I just... I wanted an excuse.”</p><p>His brow furrows.</p><p>She grimaces. “I wanted an excuse to prove Alex wrong. I wanted to prove that I don’t need her to be overprotective.”</p><p>“Alex treats you the way she does, because she loves you. She is careful, overprotective even, because she loves you.”</p><p>“I know.” He can’t tell if she means it.</p><p>The words are on the tip of his tongue. It would be easy to slip them back inside and lock them in a little box. But no, he’s come this far and he has to let itou. No little box can contain it. “Then you understand that I am careful with you, even if, yes, you could fly off right now and more than likely be perfectly okay,” He pauses. “Because I love you.”</p><p>It’s Kara, so her eyes soften. Her body shakes, just slightly, almost like a tremor, but she’s smiling. She’s smiling.</p><p>“I can’t get up to hug you.” Her voice cracks and then the tears start coming.</p><p>He moves over to her bedside in one swift motion. The second he’s close enough, she wraps her arms around him and brings him close.</p><p>“Thank you.” She whispers into his ear. “Thank you for caring.”</p><p>His inhibitors are burning again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading. As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.</p><p>And I can be found on Tumblr at: twoheartsofsteel.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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